What is Moto2?A new 4-stroke MotoGP World Championship class was announced on 11th December 2008 and is set to replace the 250cc category from 2010.
Taking the name of Moto2, this new category is intended to be a prestigious yet cost-effective accompaniment to the premier class of MotoGP.
Some of the key characteristics of this new category of Grand Prix racing will be the single engine supplier and a single tyre supplier. Honda Racing Corporation was chosen as the engine supplier, while Dunlop, currently present in the 125 and 250cc World Championships are to provide the tyres.
Technical specificationsPowered by a one-make 600cc 4-stroke engine, producing around 150hp, the Moto2 class will continue the 250cc series' pursuit of developmental excellence with the running of a prototype chassis -free from limitation.
No production bike parts will be permitted for the frame, swing arm, fuel tank, seat or cowling, meaning that these aspects of the machine will be left to the manufacturer and designers. discretion.
However, electronic systems will be more limited than those currently permitted in 250cc, which has seen select factories bringing in traction control in recent years. Moto2 rules will allow for data loggers, ECU and timing transponders supplied by the organiser, with a maximum total cost of the ECU's components set at 650 euros. No other electronic control, nor datalogging systems, will be present on the bikes.
Accepted Teams and number of entries accepted (reserve entries in brackets): Riders to be announced 2nd November
AJO MOTORSPORT: 1 (1)BALATON RACING TEAM 250: 1CAMPETELLA RACING: 1CARDION AB MOTORACING: 1CIP MOTO - GP250: 1 (1) EMMI - CAFFE LATTE: 1G22 RACING TEAM: 2HAYATE RACING TEAM: 2HONDA GRESINI: 2JIR: 2KINO RACING: 1 (1)MAPFRE ASPAR TEAM: 2MATTEONI RACING: 1 (1)PONS RACING PEPE WORLD: 2PRAMAC RACING: 2RACING TEAM BY QUERESENO: 2RACING TEAM GERMANY: 1 (1)SCOT RACING TEAM 250: 2SPEEDUP APRILIA: 2SPRINT TECNOLOGY RACING: 2STOP AND GO RACING TEAM S.L.: 2TEAM ROBERTS: 2TECH 3: 2VIESSMANN KIEFER RACING: 1 (1)WTR SAN MARINO TEAM: 1SUB TOTAL: 39 (6)
should make for closer racing all ways more enjoyable to watch more like big 125 racing where money dont buy you a winning machine on its own and rider abillity should shine through maybee we might see more british talent at the top ?
Amongst the 39 riders named in the provisional entry list for the inaugural Moto2 World Championship this year are four 125cc World Champions; Thomas Lüthi (2005), Gabor Talmacsi (2007), Mike di Meglio (2008) and Julián Simón (2009). Accompanying them are four riders who have taken runner-up honours on the World Championship stage; Fonsi Nieto (250cc in 2002), Roberto Rolfo (250cc in 2003), Alex de Angelis (125 cc in 2003) and Héctor Faubel (125cc in 2007).
Also part of the field will be six riders with experience of the premier class, in Toni Elías, De Angelis, Niccolò Canepa, Yuki Takahashi, Talmacsi and Rolfo.
And contesting the Championship will be 17 riders who have won a Grand Prix, with a total of 79 victories between them; Toni Elías (10), Mattia Pasini (10), Gabor Talmacsi (9), Julián Simón (8), Héctor Faubel (7), Mike di Meglio (5), Thomas Lüthi (5), Fonsi Nieto (5), Andrea Iannone (4), Sergio Gadea (3), Roberto Rolfo (3), Stefan Bradl (2), Alex Debón (2), Lukas Pesek (2), Yuki Takahashi (2), Alex de Angelis (1) and Scott Redding (1).
OK this is rant time because GP racing is about proto-type machines it always has been and always should be; single, twin and three cylinder 250's to the wonderful Honda 6 4stroke and then the early 2stroke's.
Not one of them was available as a road engine but now we have this stupid CBR 600 powered chassis because of emissions and cost reducing for teams.....well it sucks.
It's costing more to implement a new structure of MOTO2 for the teams than keeping the old 2strokers. Tests in Italy have shown the new generation of water injection 2strokes are as clean if not better than the current 600's.
This technology was first used on NSR 500 2strokes years ago but Honda band it themselves in favour of 990cc 4stroke. Honda for some of you that don't know control a lot more of GP racing than is known to the public.
Each time there has been a rule change most of the pushing comes from Honda HRC and this is why we now have MOTO2 with CBR engines. What of Aprilia now out in the cold...very sad.
Combine the two events for me....MotoGP as it is, WSB as it is, scrap MOTO2, and keep WSS, and combine 125's 2strokes and 250 4strokes into one class and that would be the race weekend all in one, better value for the punter.
If 250 2strokes are gone then change everything because all these championships at the moment make racing a joke for me with petty fall outs between the Italian and Spanish owners of both series, get it together and give the public something exciting.
THE MOTO2 boys were out on track today, in dry conditions at Catalunya, Spain.
Shoya Tomizawa posted the fastest time with a 1:49.4, 0.2 secs quicker than second-fastest man Jules Cluzel.
The day wasn't without its share of drama: Roby Rolfo was the only rider to injure himself, suffering a dislocated shoulder, while other fallers included: Mike di Meglio, Thomas Luthi, Vincent Lonbois, Alex Debon and Fonsi Nieto.
Former MotoGP men Toni Elias, Alex de Angelis and Niccolo Canepa were not present at Catalunya; the MotoGP refugees are waiting until the Valencia test for the official Honda</FONT...NT> Moto2 engine.Catalunya Moto2 times: Thursday1. Shoya Tomizawa Technomag CIP 1m49.4s2. Jules Cluzel Forward Racing 1m49.6s3. Yonny Hernandez Blusens STX 1m49.6s4. Julian Simon Mapfre Aspar Team 1m49.8s5. Yuki Takahashi Tech 3 Racing 1m49.8s6. Kenny Noyes Jack&Jones/Banderas 1m49.9s7. Roberto Rolfo Italtrans STR 1m50.0s8. Claudio Corti Forward Racing 1m50.1s9. Alex Baldolini Caretta Technology 1m50.3s10. Dominique Aegerter Technomag CIP 1m50.7s11. Mike di Meglio Mapfre Aspar Team 1m51.0s12. Sergio Gadea Pons Racing 1m51.0s13. Mashel Al Naimi Blusens STX 1m51.2s14. Fonsi Nieto G22 HolidayGym 1m51.2s15. Scott Redding Marc VDS Racing Team 1m51.2s16. Axel Pons Pons Racing 1m51.4s17. Raffaele de Rosa Tech 3 Racing 1m51.5s18. Thomas Luthi Interwetten Moriwaki 1m51.8s19. Robertino Pietri Italtrans STR 1m51.9s20. Joan Olive Jack&Jones/Banderas 1m51.9s21. Stefan Bradl Viessmann Kiefer Racing 1m52.0s22. Karel Abraham Cardion AB Motoracing 1m52.8s23. Vladimir Leonov Vector Kiefer Racing 1m52.9s24. Yannick Guerra G22 HolidayGym 1m53.6s
I think the 250 and 125s should have gone down the same route as the 500s. 400cc twin 4 strokes against 250 2 strokes and 200 single 4 strokes against 125 2 strokes.
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